Well bore apparatus



WELL BORE APPARATUS Claudie M. Standridge, New Iberia, La., assignor to Houston Oil Field Material Company, Inc., Houston, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1954, Serial No. 431,480 3 Claims. (11. 166-193) This invention relates to well bore apparatus and more particularly to guided well bore apparatus and a guide shoe therefor.

During well drilling operations, especially in drilling oil, gas and like wells, tools are lowered into the Well bore to perform various operations. Many such well bores change direction below the surface of the earth, such as in directional drilling, or have dog legs and the like. In these wells, aswell as in straight wells, the rotary shoe or other tool attached to the bottom of the string of pipe many times side tracks the well'bore thereby resulting in the loss of many feet of well bore already drilled including tools, pipe and the like therein.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide guided well bore apparatus or guide shoes therefor so that the apparatus will follow the existing well bore when being lowered therein.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of guided well bore apparatus or tools including the combination of a body member having an open lower end and a readily removable guide plug therein so that the apparatus or tools may be lowered into the existing well bore without sidetracking and the guide plug may readily be removed so that the apparatus canfunction as intended.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of guided well bore apparatus and a guide shoe for tools and the like by which apparatus or tools may be moved laterally in the well bore.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a guide plug for oil well tools and the like which includes means for removing the plug on contacting a fish, such as lost pipe or tools, in the well bore so that the tools may be operated as intended.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a guide plug for oil well tools and the like which contains an explosive so that such tools may be guided in the well bore while being lowered therein and may be shattered by striking a fish in the well bore so that the fish may be washed over and the tool perform its intended functions.

Other and further objects and features of the invention will-be apparent from the following description of examplesof the invention, given for the purpose of disclosure and taken in connection with accompanying drawing, where like character references designate like parts throughout the several views. While it, is to be understood that the guided well bore apparatus of the present invention may include or be used in combination with any well bore apparatus having an open lower end, the following examples are given in connection with rotary shoes such as are used on the lower end of overshots, outside cutters, and the like. Other uses, of course, will readily suggest themselves to those in the art.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation, in section, of a guide shoe constructed according to the invention.

a 2,825,412 Patented Mar. 4 1958 Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, in section, of a modification of the invention illustrated in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, in section, of still another modification of the invention, and

Figure 4 is a reduced fragmentary elevation of a guide shoe constructed according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figure 1, the numeral 4 designates a rotary shoe which may be secured to the lower end of an oil well tool, such as an overshot, into which is secured the guide plug 6. The guide plug 6 has an axially-extending fiuid passage 8 therethrough and the rotary shoe 4 is provided with the drilling or cutting teeth 10 at its lower extremity. The upper extremity of rotary shoe 4 is here shown containing internal threads 11 by which the shoe 4 may thread-v edly be secured to any other apparatus or tools to be lowered into the well bore, such as an overshot or string of drill pipe. Of course, any coupling means other than the internal threads 11 may be used for connecting the shoe 4 to the tool or it may be an integral part thereof and form the lower portion of the tool.

The guide plug 6 includes the body 12 and the bottom 14. As shown in the drawing the body 12 is cylindical in cross-section in order to complement the cylindrical bore 7 of the shoe 4 in which the body 12 snugly fits. A shoulder 16 is provided adjacent the bottom 14 which abuts against the teeth 10 of the rotary shoe 4 to limit inward movement of the guide plug 6 relative to the rotary shoe 4. The shoulder 16 preferably extends out at least as far as the external walls of the rotary shoe 4 below which shoulder the bottom 14 curves downwardly and inwardly to the lower rounded surface 13 and then upwardly to form the fluid passage 8 extending substantially axially throughout the entire plug member 6, as mentioned previously.

The fluid passage 8 through plug member 6 is flared and has its smaller end in the bottom 14 so that this passage is thus adapted to sealingly receive and seat the ball. 20, best seen in Figure 2, the purpose of which will be made apparent later.

"the plug member is usually precastand inserted into the body member where it is held by friction. It is preferred that the plug member be frangible to the extent that it will shatter upon an explosive charge being detonated or crumble when the guided apparatus of this invention strikes other well bore apparatus, tools, pipe and the like already in the well bore. Cement, Bakelite, plastics and other cementitious materials are satisfactory.

In operation, the rotary guide shoe is attached to pipe or other tools as desired and pipe or tools are then lowered into the well bore. During the lowering operation the rounded bottom 14 of the guide plug guides the pipe or tool downwardly in the well bore, through dog legs, bends, turns and the like and effectively prevents sidetracking of and loss of the Well bore.

As the apparatus to which the guide shoe 4 is connected is lowered into the well bore the fluids that are usually present in such a bore flow upwardly through fluid passage 8 and the apparatus is readily lowered to the desired location.

As the plug member 6 is made of a frangible material it will often shatter and fall out of the body member 4 when it strikes the fish or other tool in the well bore sought by the operator of the guided apparatus. However, if this does not occur, or there is no such object for it to strike, the operator may drop the ball 20, best seen in Figure 2, down the string of pipe, not shown, supporting the guided apparatus so that the ball 20 seats in the lower end of the fluid passage 8, as illustrated. Well fiuid in the string of pipe is then put under pressure by the pumps until sufficient force is applied against the upper portions of the guide plug 6 to force the guide plug out of seating the ball in the-fluidf passage S as;

1 tioning the tool as desired inrthe well 'bore.

' plug is shattered l the borehole; V i ,a 7.. w Brimacord is satisfactoryias an explosiverneans asQit the lower end of they body'mernbert l. the plug member removed, the apparatus or tool is now. ready for whatever use wasintended, such as washing ing-over a string ofpipeffish andthe like; 7 a,

i, It should be noted that in manyinstances it is'unneeessary to pump or drop the 13211110 to pump out the 'guide plug 6. In the event the passage. 8 therethrough is smaller than; the .borethere above, suflicient pressure may be applied to theguiderplug'fi to pump it out of the lower end ofthe rotary shoe 4,

or telescoping caps. The rotary shoe 4 isnot damaged 'by the a detonation and the tool may then be manipulated or tele-1 scoped over the upper end ;of the'stuck pipe or 'tools as may be the case;

While the guide plug6 has been described asinserted in the lower end of the rotary'shoe 4, it is apparent that 1 the guide plug may be insertecl intothe .open, lower 7 4 tool or pipe to the: desired'location in its descent in the t a well bore; Also, the shoe 4. rnay either be a part ofathe tool itself that; is to be lowered into the hole or'may Figure 2 shows a modification 'of the apparatus of Figure l in that a fluid port 22 has-been added which 7 passes' from the wall of fluid passage} downwardly and I outwardly through the bottom-l4 of the guide plug '6;

This fluid port is so designed that itstopening' inthe wall of fluid passage 8 is'above' the .ball20 'wheu the ball ZO the rotaryashoe 4 against the upper portions V otgthelguide t plug 6 and the ball will be suflioient .to' forcetheguide plug 6'out of rotary shoe 4Q r The modification'of Figure 2 is advantageousin that.

e i is seated in passage" 8; .This 'fluid port zz isjials'o small enough so that fluidforce exerted downwardlyjthrough' when the tool reaches 'the'level'ldesired and the tool is not positioned directly over the lost tool'or other device which is desired to be manipulated,.-the lower endgof the tool may be moved laterally in 'the w ellfb re. F'By Figurelfluid may be forced down into passageg s under 7 pressure insufiicient to foroeplug member out jofhody' member 4, f but'which fluid will, however, beffor ced ownin through fluid port 22. ThefiuicLpassing through fluid port 22 will'react againstihe rotary, shoe .4 and the guide plug 6'and move'them laterally in the borehole I rotatingthe apparatus in the borehole 'this'latteral mg've: ment may be controlled. When the tool has fthusbeen located as desired, increased pressure may be 'put nthe fluid in the body member and the'plug memberforced out ofit. Thus the port 22-advantageously assists 'in' posi:

Figure 3 illustrates another modification of thejirivep tihh wh e s.e pe el y se i when' t n ss ble practicalgtodrop the .ball'2 0' i nto' the fluidvpassage 18. e

The 'm'odification'of Figure 3 is in all respeets'ideutical V a with that of Figure l except that eoutact explosive means has been e teclt t u e p u ifi q heflheah d ,he -i t' i in te l h pipe lodg d;

y, be e nv n nt y ip e i h Phi i when he p u is formed and the explosive force of the primacordgwhile sufficient to destroy 'thez plug; will not harm the'rotary shoe 4pm the tool to which it is connected. As shown in Figure 3 the tprimtacord .24'1nay .bewql lcl in the b qdyf 12 of guid plug, 6, which priniaeor'd .is exploded, By' 'the' detonating meansset in the bottom 14 whenthe'lguidep lug is forcedagainsttools or' pipe,anot shown, lodged in the bore hole. The: detonating mea ns here illustrated are. the blasting caps26 with the extensions 28 projecting beiow e bottom 14 f th de-Pl sh Q i sur 'de 9n ie a plurality of t s ee f ns ve b ast -reap m y. he a.

used.

With the modification shown'iri Figure 3 theiguided tool is lowered'into position and upon strilging a lodged tool or other, object in the well bore, the guide plug is destroyed by theexplosive which is set otiwhenjthenextensions 28 strike the lodged tool-thereby jarring theblastend of any tool or pipe tocoact therewith to guide the be a' separate unitwhich,.whe'n combined with thefguide plug is securedto some other well bore equipment. Also, i while the-guideplug ,6 may beheldin .the lower'end of l the rotary shoe q by frictiomas described; obviously, ita may be latched or otherwise'releasably secured therein, 2 V i such as by shear'pins and the like.i -'Also, the explosive may be detonated electrically from the surface.

' It is therefore 'apparenttha't thepres'ent invention is one which' fulfills theobje'cts previously set-forthand'at- 4 advantages and featuresiwhich' g a tains other objects and has are inherent therein.

Numerous" changes in details andfrearran gement'of: parts mayfbe made which'are 'within'the spirit of the in ,vention and 1 the scope of" the; appended claims. What isclairnedisi 1.' In apparatus. for lowering posed in said lo we'rend off the body, said' guide plug hav- 8 a P 8 i q rofi hadapted' to receivea ball'to seal said passage against downward flow offluidwhereby the guide'plug irnay be pumped out th'e lower end ofthe body, an :externalfs'houlder on 'said iplug seated against and a covering thje lower end of the body, and a fluid port com municating between the said passage above1saidbal1 when seated and the exterior of the apparatus whereby passage of well fluidunder"pressure.- through said 'po'rtmoyes@saidf lower end laterally in the'welllbore. T i i 2. The 'inventioniof clair'n1,' Wherein the'i 7 formed of frangible materiali r 3. The combinationicomprising, ahollow bodyadapted V V to be lowered into a well2bore',1 said bodyils'uspendedtby a the lower end of astring of pipe, a guidefplugafrictionallyf' held in thelower portionjofithe body, an axialpassfageway extending through theiguide iplug,; adapted "tor-receive an s ball to seal said passageway'againstsldownwardfflqwr of 7 fluid whereby the guiderplug' rnaylbe pumped out the j 7 lower end ofthe body, the string of pipe,*body and pas! 7 sageway forming .a fluidpassage, aball jtfreely' movable in the fluid passage. above I thepassageway; and :adapted, to seat therein, and aafiuidportfcommunieating between: i the said passage above saidzballvwhen seated'and'the exterior of the apparatus wherebypassage of well fluid under pressure through said ,port moves said lower end laterally a V i into a: wen bore; a body having "an open lower end, a uide lug removably dis- Villaiane Mar. 20,119,5 1 w 

